Our South Korean community

We know that you want to hear about BU from the people who really matter – our current students and graduates! You can read profiles of our current South Korean students and graduates below, we’ll let them do the rest of the talking!

Mihyang Lee (Korean alumni), MSc Tourism Management

Mihyang Lee

Year of graduation 2014

Before applying for University in the UK, I did a lot of research to find the most suitable university for me. I found that Bournemouth University is one of the most reputable universities in the UK and their scholarships are so generous. While staying in the UK, I loved to walk down to the beautiful beach with golden sand for miles and miles, also, the people are lovely and friendly.

Bournemouth University is one of the most reputable universities in the UK and their scholarships are so generous.

Most of all, I would like to emphasize the value of the 30 week work placement I completed and am very proud of.

My first role was as a marketing assistant at Salisbury Cathedral in Wiltshire, endorsed by UNESCO and listed on the Memory of the World Register. I was able to improve my communication and customer service skills, learning to speak gently and politely but persuasively.

Salisbury Cathedral

My first role was as a marketing assistant at Salisbury Cathedral in Wiltshire, endorsed by UNESCO and listed on the Memory of the World Register.

My second role was managing a customer survey at Redoubt Fortress & Military Museum in East Sussex, which is one of the top ten military museums in the UK. I learnt about British culture, etiquette and history by conversing with friendly visitors. I was able to develop my professional skills as a tourist destination marketer.

I was able to develop my professional skills as a tourist destination marketer.

During my work placements I was open to a wide variety of career paths in the tourism industry which I was previously unable to see. I also increased my employability and transferable skills which helped me when I looked for a job back in Korea.

It was a fantastic opportunity for me to massively improve my language ability while working with British people and those ex-colleagues are now my friends.

When I look back at my life in the UK, I think I was so lucky and I truly appreciate my dissertation supervisor, all my lecturers and my friends in the UK and everything they did for me.I was so lucky and I truly appreciate my dissertation supervisor, all my lecturers and my friends in the UK.

I was so lucky and I truly appreciate my dissertation supervisor, all my lecturers and my friends in the UK.

Eunjung Kim (Cindy)
MSc Tourism Management (2011)

I am Eunjung Kim, preparing to make my dreams come true. I am a South Korean national, majoring in MSc Tourism Management at Bournemouth University.

Thanks to growing up in a family that travels a lot, I have had many chances to travel which let me realise the value of tourism management. That convinced me to major in Tourism Management in the School of Tourism, College of Hotel and Tourism, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Korea during my undergraduate years. During my Bachelors degree, I found I had great enthusiasm to study Tourism Management. I put my efforts into understanding the basic foundations of the tourism discipline as well as learning other subjects in Tourism Management. It was so fascinating that I wanted to study Tourism Management further. For this reason, my quest for knowledge motivated me to seek higher education, and I started looking for an appropriate place to study at postgraduate level.

Bournemouth University has an excellent reputation among students, their parents and staff in colleges and schools through their education, research, enterprise and professional practice. Especially the Tourism courses at Bournemouth University are first and second in the UK according to the Guardian University Guide 2009 & 2010. It is in a wonderful location sandwiched between a National Park, the best beaches and large natural harbours. These satisfied all the necessary conditions for me wanting to study Tourism Management. And I was awarded a scholarship worth a 50% fee reduction!

Bournemouth University has an excellent reputation among students, their parents and staff in Colleges and Schools

It can be difficult to study Tourism Management in more depth, however, I have gladly accepted the challenges and studied hard at Bournemouth University. In particular, I am learning how to write reports, a dissertation and references. It has been really helpful to me. I have not only learnt about my major but also different cultures. I realised the importance of harmonious relationships with people, so I could form strong relationships with everyone I study with. They are all willing to try to help me whenever I needed their help.

My daily life in the UK has given me all the amenities I need to live well. I live in the Corfe House in Poole. The facilities are very nice, and I sometimes have parties with my friends. Also, there are good shopping centres, a gym and a swimming pool.

Living in Bournemouth is exciting and it gives me an opportunity for some unforgettable memories. I think I have got a lot from the people and culture in Bournemouth for my positive attitude, and this experience will be helpful to me in the future. They have provided me with a strong background in this diversified society.

Living in Bournemouth is exciting and it gives me an opportunity for some unforgettable memories.

After completing my Masters, I will keep on studying to get my Doctor of Philosophy in the United Kingdom. Upon receiving my Doctor of Philosophy, I will apply my knowledge through teaching and researching Tourism Management either in Korea or overseas. I will seek to pursue my studies with the aim of applying my knowledge and experiences toward the international trends and business in the field of tourism. It is my greatest hope that my study in the United Kingdom will contribute in some way to the advancement of a field of tourism.

I would say that I really have learnt many lessons and enjoyed myself, not only from my classes but also from my daily life. After I chose to study abroad, I thought I would experience difficulties. However, the UK was no longer just an imaginary country, but a real country which I had to challenge someday. I will keep advancing step by step toward my future through these experiences. I hope that I will get to know about a much bigger world and this can help me have much bigger dreams in my life. I had a good opportunity to study at Bournemouth University and I am a great fit for studying Tourism Management.